This invention is directed generally to the field of contact lens disinfecting systems and more particularly to improvements in a contact lens disinfecting apparatus of the type including lens receptacles, a heating element and an energizing-and-timing circuit contained within a housing adapted to be directly coupled with a conventional AC outlet or socket for an automatic, timed disinfecting cycle.
Soft and extended wear type of contact lenses are widely used. These types of contact lenses are manufactured of a hydrophilic plastic porous material which can be formed to the desired lens curvature. This material, as indicated absorbs water or moisture so as to become relatively soft and pliable, and hence relatively comfortable to wear.
While the older hard type of contact lenses require periodic cleaning and/or disinfecting, the cleaning and especially the disinfecting of these soft and extended wear contact lenses is recommended more frequently. This frequency is largely due to the porous nature of the plastic materials utilized in the construction of these types of contact lenses. This porous material tends to absorb bodily fluids, which include a number of materials in solution, during wear. These materials in solution may come out of solution during wear and build up over time in the pores of the lens, resulting in clouding and discoloration of the lens. Accordingly, thorough cleaning is necessary from time to time to remove these materials from the pores of the lens. Moreover, these pores also provide areas of bacterial growth, and hence fairly frequent disinfecting of the lenses is also recommended. Several disinfecting methods have been developed and employed with success in connection with the soft and extended wear contact lenses. One particularly successful and widely used method involves placing the lenses in a saline or other disinfecting solution and heating the solution to a temperature sufficient to destroy any bacteria which may be present.
This disinfecting method generally employs a case or receptacle containing a quantity of the disinfecting or saline solution, which case or receptacle is placed in contact with a suitable heating element or unit. Thus, direct application of heat is obtained from the heating element or unit to the case and solution contained therein.
A number of devices have heretofore been proposed in easy to use unitary and/or modular forms for simply and readily carrying out this process. One such disinfecting unit is shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,868 to Bowen, et al. Another such unit is shown in the co-pending application of Ryder et al, Ser. No. 734,410, filed May 14, 1985 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,911. While the foregoing types of disinfecting units have enjoyed some degree of success, there is nonetheless room for further improvement.
The present invention pertains to a disinfecting unit or apparatus which utilizes a single, compact and easy to use plug-in type of unit. This unit comprises a combined energizing-and-timer circuit, heating module and receptacles for contact lenses and a quantity of saline or other disinfecting solution. Importantly, the disinfecting unit or apparatus of the invention provides novel shielding and drainage components for collecting and draining outwardly of the unit any moisture which may develop around or adjacent the receptacles in use, as might occur for example due to cracking of the receptacles or otherwise. The preferred form of the invention which will be illustrated and described herein also provides additional shielding for the circuit components, as well as a novel removable cover member for covering an AC connector portion of the unit when not in use.